Revolution·History·Movies

This dissertation comparatively examines the different methods of demonstrating the1911Revolution in Mainland films and Hong Kong films. It consists of five parts. The introductionsection explains the aim of this research. The historical evaluations of the1911revolution areconstantly enriched, and regionally different, which is manifested in Mainland films and HongKong films on related topics. Thus, how and why does this difference happen and change? Thefirst chapter defines the term “revolution”, comparing the different understandings andexpressions of it between the Mainland films and Hong Kong films. To be precise, the conceptand sense of “revolution” in Mainland films are orthodox; however, that in Hong Kong filmsare reflective and critical. The second chapter analyses some classic historic/literary images,such as Sun Yat-Sen, QiuJin, and other revolutionaries, discussing how and why they aredifferently exhibited in the mainland films and Hong-Kong films. These characters in themainland films are perfect and noble, with heroics; on the contrary, those in Hong Kong filmsare more like common people. The last chapter analyses the different features of audio-visuallanguage in the mainland films and Hong Kong films. The Mainland films usually tell tragiccharacter-driven stories emotionally, while Hong Kong films are cross-genre, mixing withcomedy, action movies, and romance stories. The conclusion section summarizes opinionsmentioned before, wishing that Mainland films will have a spirit of inclusion.